Multi Camera Mount

ABSTRACT

A camera mounting assembly is disclosed for a plurality of cameras. The camera mounting structure may have a substantially circular configuration. The camera mounting structure may include a unibody base cage. One or more lens openings may be configured along the circumference of the unibody base cage. The lens openings may allow a camera lens to have an unobstructed view outside of the unibody base cage to capture an image or a video. The assembly further may include one or more sub-cages that are releasably attached to the unibody base cage. Each sub-cage may be configured to securely hold a camera via a securing mechanism such as a clamp or interlocking pin. Each sub-cage further may include an aligning pin that is configured to align the center of the camera with the center of the lens opening.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/166,584, filed May 26, 2015, the content of which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure generally relates to the field of camera mounts, and moreparticularly, a mount for securing a plurality of cameras within areleasable openable encasement.

BACKGROUND

A camera may be mounted on or within structures, for example to ensurethat the camera is still while capturing images, thus trying to avoidout-of-focus images, leading to capture of high quality images. Most ofthe mounts available today are to mount a single camera. To accommodatemultiple views of an object, multiple camera mounts are used to captureimages from different views. Some conventional mounts that canaccommodate multiple cameras. However, a problem with these conventionalmounts is that they do not allow cameras to remain in specifically fixedpositions resulting in misalignment of the cameras relative to imagesthat are captured. Images captured from misaligned camera are verydifficult, if not impossible, to cleanly stitch together once images arecaptured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed embodiments have advantages and features which will bemore readily apparent from the detailed description, the appendedclaims, and the accompanying figures (or drawings). A brief introductionof the figures is below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a camera mounting assembly fora plurality of cameras, the structure having a substantially circularconfiguration, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a planar view of the camera mounting assembly for theplurality of cameras, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the camera mounting assembly for theplurality of cameras, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of the camera mounting assembly for theplurality of cameras, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view of the camera mountingassembly for the plurality of cameras, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates example camera architecture for use with the cameramounting assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The Figures (FIGS.) and the following description relate to preferredembodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that fromthe following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures andmethods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viablealternatives that may be employed without departing from the principlesof what is claimed.

Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying figures. It is noted thatwherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used inthe figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. The figuresdepict embodiments of the disclosed system (or method) for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following description that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles described herein.

Configuration Overview

Described are embodiments of a camera mounting assembly. The cameramounting assembly may have a substantially circular configuration. Thecamera mounting assembly may include N cameras used to capture a 4 pisteradian image. Each camera may be mounted within the camera mountingassembly such that each camera may capture a portion of the 4 pisteradian image. Additionally, the camera mounting assembly may includea structure to house electronics and processing elements. The processingelements may be configured to stitch the images from each camera toobtain the 4 pi steradian image.

The camera mounting assembly may include a circular unibody base cagethat may include camera mounts for more than one camera. The unibodybase cage may have lens openings along the circumference of the unibodybase cage. A lens of a camera may be fitter within each lens openingsuch that the lens of the camera has an unobstructed view outside theunibody base cage to capture images. Within the unibody base cage, oneor more sub-cage structures may be releasably attached to the unibodybase cage. Each sub-cage structure includes a securing mechanism such asa locking gear, or screws to securely hold a camera such that the centerof the camera lens aligns with the center of the lens opening. Thecamera mounting assembly optionally may include a top plate and a bottomplate to withstand high impact or different weather conditions.Additionally, the circular configuration may have vents and openingsbetween the sub-cages in order to reduce thermal convection that may becaused due to mounting of more than one camera within the cameramounting assembly.

Example Multiple Camera Mount Configuration

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a camera mountingassembly 100 for a plurality of cameras 120, the structure of theassembly having a substantially circular configuration. The exampleembodiment of a camera mounting assembly 100 may be configured to attachtwo or more high definition video cameras within a high tolerancejuxtaposition relative to each other. This configuration may allowperforming image stitching from images captured across two or morecameras with minimal computation intensity to achieve single compositeimage. In one example embodiment, the camera mounting assembly 100 maybe a substantially circular configuration configured to hold N number ofcameras 120, where N cameras may be two or more cameras and may providefor image capture in a panoramic field. For example, N may be threecameras 120 or N may be six cameras 120 or N may be twelve cameras 120.Each field of view may provide for capture of an equal quality of afield of view (FOV). Each camera 120 may be positioned within a sub-cage110 coupled to a base circular camera mounting structure 105 (which alsomay be referenced as base cage 105) so that the lens of the camera 120fits into a lens opening 150. The lens opening 150 is typicallypositioned on the circumference of the base cage 105.

In one embodiment the base cage 105 may be a unibody structure that maybe made of rigid material, for example, a polycarbonate, ABS, or othermaterial capable of withstanding high impact. The unibody structure andrigid materials may help ensure minimal to no deviances in alignmentbetween cameras. The unibody base cage 105 is a circular frame structurethat may include slots to fit in sub-cages at the outer edge of thecircular frame structure. The circular frame structure may have openingsbetween the sub-cage slots to allow air to flow within the base cage105. Towards the inner portion of the circular frame structure, lockingmechanisms, e.g., latches, clips, or gear locks, may be included formounting the entire camera mounting assembly 100 in a fixed location.

Within the base cage 105, cameras 120 are positioned within sub-cages110 to secure the camera 120 within the base cage and to allow for thelens to have an unobstructed view outside the base cage 105 and thesub-cage 110. The camera 120 may be a high definition camera (orcamera). It is noted that in one embodiment the camera may be used tocapture video and/or still images. It also is noted the camera may be anactivity camera, for example, a GOPRO camera such as a HERO 3, HERO 4,HERO 5, or other camera with similar dimensions and functionality. Inalternate embodiments, the activity camera may be, for example, a GOPROHERO SESSION camera or other activity camera with similar dimensions andfunctionality. An example of a camera architecture of a camera 120 foruse with the camera mounting assembly 100 is further described below,e.g., with FIG. 6.

The sub-cage 110 may be a rectangular frame, approximately sized to beof a similar length and height as the length and a height of the camera120. The width of the sub-cage 110 frame may be at least approximatelyat a quarter or half of the width of the camera 120, which may expose aportion of the camera outside of the sub-cage 110. The camera 120 withinthe sub-cage 110 may be further secured within the sub-cage 110 by asecuring mechanism. Examples of a securing mechanism may be a clamp, aninterlocking pin, and/or spring lock to keep the camera 120 from movingback towards center of the camera mounting assembly 100. Each sub-cage110 may be individually detachable (or removably attachable) from thebase cage 105. The sub-cage 110 may be attached to the base cage 105 viaa mechanical securing mechanism. Examples of mechanical securingmechanisms may be interlocking clips, pins, screws, spring clamps, orother such securing mechanism.

Each sub-cage 110 may further include a power, processing andcommunications block. These components may be embodied within a“backpack”. Additional examples of a backpack are described with respectto FIG. 3. In one example embodiment, the backpack may be a rectangularblock structure that aligns with the size of the camera and may becoupled to the camera 120 via mechanical locking mechanisms. Therectangular block structure may be enclosed with ventilation or may bean open air cage structure. In another embodiment, the backpack may beattached to the sub-cage 110 and include one or more connectors. Theconnectors may provide electrical connectivity to access operationalfunctionality, for example, power, communication, processing and/orglobal positioning system (GPS) functionality for the camera 120.

The opening for the lens 150 may be a precision point. The precisionpoint allows aligning the center point of the lens with the center pointof the lens opening 150. The lens opening 150 positions the lens of thecamera along the horizontal plane, e.g., the X-Y axis. Aligning andpositioning the lens accurately within the lens opening ensures that thestitching lines for an image are aligned for each field of view. Inaddition, optionally, there may be aligning pins within each sub-cage110 to help ensure that the lenses are aligned in a precisejuxtaposition relative to other lenses of other cameras secured with thesub-cages 110 of the base cage 105. The aligning pins within eachsub-cage 110 may be coupled to an inner back wall of the rectangularframe of the sub-cage 110. Once the sub-cage 110 is aligned with theinner back wall of the rectangular frame and secured in place, the backof a lens of the camera 120 is aligned in an appropriate positionrelative to the lens opening 150. In particular, the aligning pin mayapply pressure towards on the back of the camera 120 to force the lensof the camera 120 to position within the lens opening of the base cage105. In another embodiment, the aligning pins within the sub-cage 110may be coupled towards the outer edges of the rectangular frame of thesub-cage 110. In this configuration, the aligning pins lock the back ofthe camera within the aligning pins to prevent any movement of thecamera 120 and keep the lens of the camera 120 within the lens opening150.

It is noted that the base cage 105 is shown with panels, e.g., thesub-cage 110 that enclose the cameras 120 within a substantiallyenclosed assembly. There may be openings between sub-cages 110 along thesides where the cameras 120 are securely mounted. The substantiallyenclosed assembly of the base cage 105 allows for withstanding elementssuch as wind and moisture. Cooling can be achieved using heat sinksand/or vents between and/or around the sub-cages 110 as needed. In oneembodiment, the base cage 105 may be made of a material that allowscooling. The material may be, for example, aluminum, copper, and/orcomposite material.

In alternate example embodiments, the top 160 or bottom may be comprisedof just an open frame so that air can circulate through the assembly. Inthe example embodiment, the base cage 105 may have a more openstructural cage configuration. An open structural configuration mayinclude a physical opening between sub-cages 110 so that a camera 120within a sub-cage 110 is exposed to air. The openings between sub-cages110 are structured such that they may airflow between the cameras 120allows for cooling. In some embodiments, a top 160 and a bottom of thebase cage 105 can be a substantially molded unibody piece that is, forexample, a plate.

FIG. 2 illustrates a planar view of the camera mounting assembly 100 forthe plurality of cameras 120. Here, the lens openings 150 areillustrated as lined up along the circumference 205 of the base cage 105so that the lens have an unobstructed field of view, yet have someoverlap with a field of view of adjacent cameras 120 that have theirlenses positioned within their respective openings 150.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of the camera mountingassembly 100 for the plurality of cameras 120. The base cage 105 of thecamera mounting assembly 100 includes the lens opening 150. In oneembodiment, the lens opening 150 may integrate a heat sink. The heatsink dissipates heat generated from the camera 120. An example heat sinkis in U.S. Pat. No. 9,025,080, which is incorporated by reference. Inaddition, the heat sink structure may allow for accommodating FOVpointing tolerances by keeping the lens of the camera 120 properlyaligned within the lens opening 150.

A mechanical lever 370 such as a nova center cam is illustrated in thecross section. The lever 370 is attached within the base cage 105 via asecuring mechanism or may be held to the base cage via a bondingchemical. The mechanical lever may be structured to include a pivotpoint which can allow for securing a camera 120 in place within thesub-cage 110 by pushing against the back of the camera or allow forrelease of the camera 120 by releasing pressure off of the back of thecamera. Examples of releasable mechanisms include a gear lock system, aspring tensioned system or other such mechanical lock systems that allowrelease of the camera. The mechanical lever 370 may be positioned at theback of each sub-cage 110 that secures a camera 120 between the front ofa sub-cage 110 and a center portion of the camera mounting assembly 100.The center portion of the camera mounting assembly 100 may form a backagainst which the mechanical lever 370 may be secured. Placing themechanical lever 370 in this position allows the lens of the camera tobe aligned with the lens opening 150 and remain secured in thisposition. In particular, the mechanical lever 370 exerts force on thecamera 120 in the secured position. The force allows the lens of thecamera 120 to be appropriately positioned within the lens opening 150 ofthe base cage 105, specifically along the vertical plane, i.e., theZ-axis. The lever 370 may be releasable. Examples of mechanical leversinclude a nova center cam, clamp or any other such levers.

The camera mounting assembly 100 may include power distributionelectronics 280 as well as processing and communication electronics 280,for example, for synchronization of cameras. For example, electronicsand code may be incorporated to designate one of the cameras 120 as amaster clock camera against which the other cameras 120 willsynchronize. Alternately, the electronics may include a master clock towhich all cameras 120 within the camera mounting assembly 100 maysynchronize. It is noted that although not shown, a structure thathouses electronics for communications and power may be in the form of acubic or rectangular box or prism. The electronics housing structure maybe referenced as a “backpack” and may allow for superseding powersources on the camera 120 and may allow for removing such sources fromthe cameras 120 in some example embodiments thereby lightening thecamera weight. Example electronics may include global positioning system(GPS) connectors, power connectors, power and GPS related electronics,communication protocols such as USB, Wi-Fi, camera buses, etc., andother such electronics. In some embodiments, a battery pack may beincluded within the backpack, or alternatively, a slot for a batterypack may be provided within the backpack.

A backpack may have a unibody enclosed rectangular or cubic prismstructure. In some embodiments, the backpack may be a multi-bodied framethat includes a slot for a battery pack such that a battery may beinserted within the slot as required. One of the faces of the backpackprism may include connectors, either mounted on the face or embeddedwithin the face of the backpack. In one embodiment, the backpack may besecured to the back of the camera or sub-cage via the connectors. Inanother embodiment, the backpack may be attached to the back of thecamera via securing mechanisms such as clips, gear locks, bondingchemicals, etc.

A backpack may be secured within each sub-cage 110 and communicativelycoupled with a corresponding camera 120 in the sub-cage 110.Alternately, a backpack may be secured outside of a sub-cage 110, e.g.,secured along a center of the camera mounting assembly 100 andcommunicatively coupled, e.g., via a wire (or bus) with one or morecameras 120 in the base cage 105.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the camera mounting assembly 100 forthe plurality of cameras 120. In one embodiment, the top 160 may beremovably attachable. The top 160 may be a circular plate structuresimilar in size of the base cage 105 and that secures to the base cage105. The top 160 plate protects the electronics and communicationswithin the camera mounting assembly 100. The top 160 may be made of amaterial that allows cooling, and withstands high impact. The top 160may be secured through a top securing mechanism 420. The top securingmechanism 420 may be, for example, a thumbscrew or removable lockingpin. By removing the top 160, access to the internal of the cameramounting assembly 100 is enabled to load, detach or position the cameras120, sub-cages 110 and/or backpacks within the camera mounting assembly100. In one embodiment, the top 160 may be made of a material thatallows cooling, for example, aluminum.

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom view of the camera mounting assembly 100 forthe plurality of cameras 120. The bottom 560 portion may be a circularplate structure similar in size of the base cage 105. The bottom portionmay include indicators such as LEDs, connectors for external power ormemory, vents (that may perform a heat transfer function to allowcooling) and/or levers 570. In one embodiment, the levers 570 may beinternal within the base cage 105. In one embodiment, the bottom platemay include a three-pin power supply connector to connect to an externalpower source. The levers 570 are on the mechanical levers 370 that mayapply a force along an axis of a lens of the camera 120. The bottom 560may be secured through a securing mechanism 580, which may be athumbscrew or removable locking pin. In one embodiment, the bottom 560may be made of a material that allows cooling, for example, aluminum.

The mechanical configuration as shown and described can allow forsecuring the camera within the camera mounting assembly 100 so that thelens of each camera 120 may be properly positioned within the assembly100. By having the camera 120 appropriately secured and positioned, twoor more cameras capturing images in their respective field of view canthereafter have the images from the field of view further processed withprecision. For example, images from each field of view may be stitchedalong respective edges allowing for a larger image capture with minimaldistortion and/or loss of portions of an image.

Example Camera Architecture

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example camera architecture600. The camera architecture 605 corresponds to an architecture for thecamera, e.g., 120. In one embodiment, the camera 120 is capable ofcapturing spherical or substantially spherical content. As used herein,spherical content may include still images or video having spherical orsubstantially spherical field of view. For example, in one embodiment,the camera 120 captures video having a 360° field of view in thehorizontal plane and a 180° field of view in the vertical plane.Alternatively, the camera 120 may capture substantially spherical imagesor video having less than 360° in the horizontal direction and less than180° in the vertical direction (e.g., within 10% of the field of viewassociated with fully spherical content). In other embodiments, thecamera 120 may capture images or video having a non-spherical wide anglefield of view.

As described in greater detail below, the camera 120 can include sensors640 to capture metadata associated with video data, such as timing data,motion data, speed data, acceleration data, altitude data, GPS data, andthe like. In a particular embodiment, location and/or time centricmetadata (geographic location, time, speed, etc.) can be incorporatedinto a media file together with the captured content in order to trackthe location of the camera 120 over time. This metadata may be capturedby the camera 120 itself or by another device (e.g., a mobile phone)communicatively coupled with the camera 120. In one embodiment, themetadata may be incorporated with the content stream by the camera 120as the spherical content is being captured. In another embodiment, ametadata file separate from the video file may be captured (by the samecapture device or a different capture device) and the two separate filescan be combined or otherwise processed together in post-processing. Itis noted that these sensors 940 can be in addition to other sensors.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the camera 120 comprises acamera core 610 comprising a lens 612, an image sensor 614, and an imageprocessor 616. The camera 120 additionally includes a system controller620 (e.g., a microcontroller or microprocessor) that controls theoperation and functionality of the camera 120 and system memory 630configured to store executable computer instructions that, when executedby the system controller 620 and/or the image processors 616, performthe camera functionalities described herein. In some embodiments, acamera 120 may include multiple camera cores 610 to capture fields ofview in different directions which may then be stitched together to forma cohesive image. For example, in an embodiment of a spherical camerasystem, the camera 120 may include two camera cores each having ahemispherical or hyper hemispherical lens that each captures ahemispherical or hyper hemispherical field of view which are stitchedtogether in post-processing to form a spherical image.

The lens 612 can be, for example, a wide angle lens, hemispherical, orhyper hemispherical lens that focuses light entering the lens to theimage sensor 614 which captures images and/or video frames. The imagesensor 614 may capture high-definition images having a resolution of,for example, 720p, 1080p, 4k, or higher. In one embodiment, sphericalvideo is captured in a resolution of 5760 pixels by 2880 pixels with a360° horizontal field of view and a 180° vertical field of view. Forvideo, the image sensor 614 may capture video at frame rates of, forexample, 30 frames per second, 60 frames per second, or higher. Theimage processor 616 performs one or more image processing functions ofthe captured images or video. For example, the image processor 616 mayperform a Bayer transformation, demosaicing, noise reduction, imagesharpening, image stabilization, rolling shutter artifact reduction,color space conversion, compression, or other in-camera processingfunctions. Processed images and video may be temporarily or persistentlystored to system memory 630 and/or to a non-volatile storage, which maybe in the form of internal storage or an external memory card.

An input/output (I/O) interface 660 transmits and receives data fromvarious external devices. For example, the I/O interface 660 mayfacilitate the receiving or transmitting video or audio informationthrough an I/O port. Examples of I/O ports or interfaces include USBports, HDMI ports, Ethernet ports, audio ports, and the like.Furthermore, embodiments of the I/O interface 660 may include wirelessports that can accommodate wireless connections. Examples of wirelessports include Bluetooth, Wireless USB, Near Field Communication (NFC),and the like. The I/O interface 660 may also include an interface tosynchronize the camera 120 with other cameras or with other externaldevices, such as a remote control, a second camera, a smartphone, aclient device, or a video server.

A control/display subsystem 670 includes various control and displaycomponents associated with operation of the camera 120 including, forexample, LED lights, a display, buttons, microphones, speakers, and thelike. The audio subsystem 650 includes, for example, one or moremicrophones and one or more audio processors to capture and processaudio data correlated with video capture. In one embodiment, the audiosubsystem 650 includes a microphone array having two or microphonesarranged to obtain directional audio signals.

Sensors 640 capture various metadata concurrently with, or separatelyfrom, video capture. For example, the sensors 640 may capturetime-stamped location information based on a global positioning system(GPS) sensor, and/or an altimeter. Sensor data captured from the varioussensors 640 may be processed to generate other types of metadata. Forexample, sensor data from the accelerometer may be used to generatemotion metadata, comprising velocity and/or acceleration vectorsrepresentative of motion of the camera 120. In one embodiment, thesensors 640 are rigidly coupled to the camera 120 such that any motion,orientation or change in location experienced by the camera 120 is alsoexperienced by the sensors 640. The sensors 640 furthermore mayassociates a time stamp representing when the data was captured by eachsensor. In one embodiment, the sensors 640 automatically begincollecting sensor metadata when the camera 120 begins recording a video.

The camera 120 can be enclosed within a camera mounting assembly 100,such as the one depicted in FIGS. 1 through 5. The camera mountingassembly 100 can include electronic connectors which can couple with thecorresponding camera (not shown) when a power and/or communicationsource is incorporated into the camera mounting assembly 100.

Additional Considerations

By way of example, a circular array mounting structure envelop thecamera and provide for a thermal contact with one or more heatdissipation surfaces of said camera in order to provide for efficientthermal dissipation out of the camera into the sub structure of themount. The circular mount will comprise one or more cable managementstructures for retaining synchronizing connections. The system of Ncameras will be identified sequentially, synchronized and hot swappable.The data captured by said cameras will be identified with the sequenceand synchronization such that the aggregated data can be stitched inaccordance to the cameras position within the mount and thus accuratelyrepresent the rendering of the 4PI (caged) or less than 4Pi circularcomposite field of view or a full range panoramic view.

The disclosed configurations allows for heat dissipation, particularlywhen powering the cameras within it. For example, the camera mountingassembly 100 can be configured with an open air top or bottom. The openair designs increase airflow around the cameras allowing for cooling.

Moreover, because the disclosed embodiments allow for an array ofcameras 120 to be run on external power from a source on the cages, thebatteries of the camera can be removed. This reduces heat generated bythe cameras and also decreases weight of the overall assembly whencameras are mounted within the cages.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component.

Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single componentmay be implemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodimentsmay be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or moreelements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term“coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interactwith each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the invention. Thisdescription should be read to include one or at least one and thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs for amulti-camera mount. Thus, while particular embodiments and applicationshave been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that thedisclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction andcomponents disclosed herein. Various modifications, changes andvariations, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, may bemade in the arrangement, operation and details of the method andapparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scopedefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A camera mounting assembly for a plurality ofcameras, the camera mounting assembly comprising: a camera mountingstructure including a circular unibody base cage; one or more lensopenings within the circular unibody base cage, configured along thecircumference of the circular unibody base cage, each lens openingstructured to provide a lens of the camera to have an unobstructed viewoutside the circular unibody base cage; and one or more sub-cagestructures releasably attachable to the circular unibody base cage via asecuring mechanism each sub-cage structure including a securingmechanism configured to securely hold a camera, the sub-cage structurefurther including an aligning pin configured to position a center of thelens of the camera in alignment with a center of the lens opening. 2.The multiple camera mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising adetachable top plate secured to the circular unibody base cage by asecuring mechanism.
 3. The multiple camera mounting assembly of claim 1,further comprising a detachable bottom plate secured to the circularunibody base cage by a securing mechanism.
 4. The multiple cameramounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical leverpositioned at a back portion of the sub-cage, and attached within thecircular unibody base cage structure via a securing mechanism, themechanical lever configured to apply force along an axis of a lens of acamera to allow positioning of the lens within the lens opening.
 5. Themultiple camera mounting assembly of claim 4, wherein the mechanicallever is releasable.
 6. The multiple camera mounting assembly of claim4, wherein the lens opening is positioned at a precision pointcorresponding to a center point of the lens of the camera. The multiplecamera mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising an enclosed boxstructure coupled to the sub-cage via a securing mechanism, the boxstructure configured to house one or more electronic elements fordistributing power within the sub-cage.
 8. The multiple camera mountingassembly of claim 7, wherein the box structure is configured to houseone or more processing and communication elements to synchronize theplurality of cameras secured within the sub-cages.
 9. The multiplecamera mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the box structure isrectangular prism.
 10. The multiple camera mounting assembly of claim 7,wherein the box structure is cubic prism.
 11. The multiple cameramounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the box structure further includesa connector that can plug in to a power source.